Singin’ the Blues: What Does Your Stash Reveal About You?

I used to think green was my favorite color, until I recently reorganized my stash and counted the fabrics in each color group. Surprise, blues lead the pack! (Green and red are second.) Now I’m seeing all the ways I’ve been inspired by things blue in my life. Here’s a few…

Does anyone else like blue pottery as much as I do?

Blues and golds have been dominating our sunsets in Colorado lately.

Colorado Skies quilt, detail, Jan/Feb McCall's Quilting 2012

The Colorado Skies quilt I designed recently appeared in McCall’s. Golds, dark greens and a hint of orange complement the many blues.

Wait until you see this peacock blue fabric appearing in the March/April 2012 issue of McCall’s Quilting. The quilt is named Peacock Pizzazz and it’s gorgeous!

Painting by Auguste Renoir

More inspiration, Renoir’s blue cat. No fur dye was in fashion in his day!

"January Blues", KG Taylor

January was a blue month for me in the painting studio.

Blue globe thistle blooms set off the pretty pinks in this bouquet from my daughter’s summer wedding day.

What color dominates the others in your stash? If you counted them up would you be surprised like me?

I was teaching a neighborhood boy, age 10, to sew, and told him to rummage through my boxes of fabrics, to pick out some fabric he would like to use for a beginner project. After a while, he said “Do you have anything that isn’t pink?”
I guess that answers the question, but I have to admit, I was a little surprised.

We were doing scrappy quilts last summer at quilt camp, as I went through and seperated my scraps by color the biggest pile was green, I thought it would be blue, and I was totally surprised at how little red I had.

Great idea to check. I recently when through my fabric to rearrange my sewing room. Mine was all brights. My family have definite preferences for green (2 children) blue (husband and 1 son) orange and lavender (1 daughter–but not together). I did a 40 foot by 20 foot Joseph’s Technicolor Dreamcoat in the fall and managed to pull 12 different colored mariner’s compass stars, a pieced sun and moon and 12 different combinations of greens/color for the corn. I love color!

I use those hanging canvas shoebags for storing fat quarters and red has claimed five of the slots–the most of any color; however, I use those hanging canvas sweater or purse bags for storing half yard and yard cuts, and blues and greens each have two slots. Now, what does that say? That I like purple?

I probably have more blues than anything else in my stash. In fact, I remember reading in some quilt magazine or other that blue is the most popular color with quilters. Nice painting, BTW, and that sunset is amazing! Not that you can really take credit for that (well, the photography, I guess)!

I have always loved blue, too. If fact, when I started quilting, most of my projects contained some blues. Making a quilt without some blue was very difficult. I’ve gotten over that, but find myself drifting back to the blues like “comfort food.” I have found that I also love any shade of green — especially the greens in the “lime” family. Just finished a wonderful lime green, white and black quilt!

That sounds very cool. You will have to check out the July 2012 Quick Quilts issue, Melinda. There’s a quilt planned that is in the very same color scheme of the quilt you just made! All I can say for now.

Over the years-I have made many Quilts-no real large ones-Crib,Lap and Throw-and one Twin-I use mostly my very favorite magazine patterns and that is McCalls-I subscrribe to that and Quick Quilts-I have always thought pink was my favorite color but I find now I’m choosing blue-and also thinking yellow and green-a friend is making one in black and white and I want to do that too-just like all QUILTERS we want to make everything Quilts-Yea McCalls!!

Thanks for your comments Elva. (You sound very prolific!) Maybe some of us are more likely to go through color phases… I know I am. I used to steer clear of orange and now it seems to attract me all the time. Dark plum too.

I too found the bulk of my stash was blue and green. My favorite colors are orange, red and gold. Hmmmmm.. Interesting. I am a lover of blue pottery as well and found your photo of it really great. Amazing how we need a little shakeup now and then to see which way our quilts are headed.

Thanks, Barbara. Of course, it could also mean you are using up all your orange, red and gold fabrics to make quilts and leaving the stash as is! Speaking to myself here too…(Thanks about the pottery photo.)
Maybe a good challenge for us all would be to create a small quilt in a color combo we have never tried! Hmmm…. what would that be?